Swedish Politician Proposes Prohibition And Destruction Of Mosques, PM Kristersson: We Did Not Destroy Places Of Worship

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. (Wikimedia Commons/FinnishGovernment)

JAKARTA - Sweden's prime minister insisted "we don't destroy places of worship", after a far-right politician proposed banning new mosques and destroying existing mosques in the country.

The comments were made by PM Ulf Kristersson, after Jimmie Akesson's call, the leader of the Swedish Democratic Party, an ally of the far-right government. Although it is not a full member of the ruling coalition, the party is a partner in cooperation, agreeing to help form policies in exchange for support in parliament.

"In the long term, we have to start confiscating and destroying mosques that are a source of anti-democracy, anti-Swedish, homophobic and anti-Semitic propaganda," Akesson said on weekends, adding the construction of a new mosque should not be allowed., reported The National News November 27.

In response, PM Kristersson firmly rejected the proposal.

"In Sweden, we did not destroy places of worship," he told Swedish news agency TT.

Meanwhile, Michael Sahlin, a former Swedish ambassador to Turkey warned that Akesson's statement could complicate the country's efforts to become a NATO member, which has had many problems.

"Turkey already knows that the Swedish Democratic Party has said problematic things in the past, but its leader's talks about the demolition of the mosque are extreme and unfortunate," Sahlin told Swedish television station SVT.

"Achiesson's statement carries a different burden for Sweden's membership in NATO," he said.

Sweden and Finland asked to join NATO in May last year, months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. To become a member, the two countries must obtain approval from all member states of the defense pact without exception, including Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at that time objected to what he called the protection of Nordic countries against people Turkey considered terrorists, as well as the embargo of their defense trade.

This April, Turkey ratified support for Finland but not with Sweden, demanding Stockholm take further steps to curb members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is considered terrorists by the European Union and the US.

In response, Stockholm introduced a law that makes the membership of an illegal terrorist organization, as well as lifts arms export restrictions to Turkey. It said it had upheld its part of the deal signed last year.